This week’s best bet in fishing: Offshore of Miami Beach

BEST BET

Captain Gil Gutierrez of Lucky Fishing Charters out of TNT Marina in Keystone reported fishing offshore of Miami Beach has been good. His clients have had steady catches of sailfish, a few blackfin tuna, bonitos, kingfish and dolphins on the surface. On the bottom, his clients are catching big amberjacks and a few nice mutton snappers. Large live threadfin herring are getting the surface bites, and live pinfish are working on the bottom fish.

MIAMI-DADE/BROWARD

Captain Mo Estevez of New Dawn Charters reported finding plenty of bluefish and trout over the grass flats in South Bay. The fish were eating jig heads tipped with a soft plastic and live shrimp and baitfish fished under a float. Bonefishing has been slow but there has been an abundance of bait fish around. Local anglers David Gennet and his sons Moshe and Nofi fished South Bay with captain Alan Sherman of Get Em Sportfishing Charters and caught 11 different species of fish that included gag and red grouper to eight pounds, mangrove, mutton, yellowtail and lane snappers to three pounds and Spanish mackerel to four pounds. All of the fish ate live pilchards hooked to a Mustad Ultra Point hook.

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KEYS

Reid McKinstry of Mustad Hooks and his relatives Tim, Miwa, Dillion, Cathy, Kyle and Cassidy Bush fished in the Gulf of Mexico and landed a limit of cobia, and released giant goliath groupers and a 40-inch redfish. The catch was made with live pinfish, bluerunners and Mustad Shad jig heads tipped with a white soft plastic. The anglers fished with captain Jack Carlson of Two Conch Fishing Charters out of Marathon. Captain Bill Hauck of the party boat Sea King out of Marathon reported that the black grouper and large yellowtail snapper fishing has been so good that he was planning to run a trip from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday to take advantage of the great bite. On recent offshore trips, his clients have had black groupers to 32 pounds with most of the groupers being in the 20- to 25-pound range. The action has been in 100 to 110 feet of water.

TREASURE COAST

Nedra Maxwell of the Sebastian Inlet District reported Sebastian Inlet jetty fishermen were doing very well on black drum. The drums were eating fresh clams and pieces of shrimp. Spanish mackerel and bluefish were biting on shiny lures and Gotcha lures. A few large flounder were caught using dead finger mullet. A few large snook are being caught and released from the jetties. Large pompano are finally making a showing and pompano fishermen are catching them on sand fleas, clams, shrimp and Doc’s Goofy jigs.

FLORIDA BAY

Captain Nestor Alvisa of Hooked on Flamingo Charters reported having pretty good snook and sea trout action while fishing along the coast north of Shark River. Alvisa also has been putting his clients on some large cobia over the rock piles and structure in the Gulf. In the backcountry along the mangrove shorelines, there have been large numbers of small snook that can be chummed into a feeding frenzy with live pilchards.

SOUTHWEST COAST

Captain Terry Pitz of Southwest Fishing Charters reported out of Pine Island Sound, tripletail, Spanish mackerel, pompano, grouper, sea trout, ladyfish, jacks and sharks are feeding over the grass flats in three to six feet of water. These fish are easy targets on fly. Snook are in the creek mouths, passes, canals and in potholes up on the flats. Redfish are smaller now but schooled up over many of the flats as well as along the mangrove shorelines. Tarpon are still around but are smaller, and these fish can be found way up in the back creeks.

FRESHWATER

Alan Zaremba of Worldwide Sport Fishing Inc. reported the urban canal fishing has been really good. In many of the local canals you can sight fish large peacock bass. In other canals the top water lures and jerk baits are getting the job done. Zaremba has been fishing the C-100 and C-8 canals and the canal systems in and around Lake Osborne. Fly rodders were doing well using Clouser Minnows, while baitcasters and spin fishers were tossing AZ Jungle jigs. Local anglers Norman and Jordan Ditchek fished along the Alligator Alley canal with Zaremba as their guide and caught and released nine largemouth bass to four pounds and four peacock bass to three pounds.